Verdad Magazine Volume 9

Fall 2010, Volume 9

Poetry by Deserine Antonia

Psalm 23 In Reverse

Her ex-lover was supposed to be her shepherd,
and she was not to want for anything, nothing.
He hypnotized her with his mendacious illusions,
which madeth her to lie down and pretend
to have the most pleasurable sex ever told.

2 She allowed him to lead her to waters so salty
that when she drank, she aborted her soul,
compelling her to follow him down five evil paths
for the sake of capturing his name.

3 She waltzed through this valley of mirrors,
leaving parts of herself in each one,
then she walked, then she fell, then she crawled,
until she bled the consecration of his curse,

4 For he could always hurt her,
with his tongue and his fist
redesign her,
then set the table before her,
where she became a meal for his friends.

5 He anoints her head with a slap of the hand,
or his sperm when he feels amorous,
sometimes her saliva runneth over,
or is it her blood, or maybe her piss,
next time.

6 Surely, he is good somewhere,
in the confusion that deludes her
mind.

7 So she shall follow him to her destruction
or until she is passed on to another man,
where she can dwell on those things she needs to hear,
and the holy beatings that proclaim her a saint, for ever.

8 Amen

BIO: I received my B.A. in English literature from New Mexico State University and my M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Utah. I also have an M.B.A. with a concentration in health services. An adjunct professor at two universities in Hamden and New Haven, Connecticut, I also teach English as a second language at a local community college. My hobbies include photography, playing chess, and hiking.